You think the rent's too high? Try buying a depressed property with a hope that it'll appreciate. As of today, the vast majority of EV chargers are being marketed towards those who have garages to install 'em in. While that's all fine and dandy for Mr. and Mrs. Suburbia, it's a bit of a stretch to ask the modern day apartment dweller to install one on the nearest street corner. In an effort to make electric vehicles more feasible for renters, 350Green is envisioning a vast network of chargers near places of work, and it's getting things going in the Bay Area. Thanks to a little financial help from the folks at Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the aforementioned company will be installing a range of fast chargers in six cities around the area: Albany, Menlo Park, Milbrae, Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale. We're told that 100 percent of the plazas will be installed in the parking lots of select, high-traffic retail locations, at no cost to the host location, with specific locations to be named in the coming weeks. If all goes well, NorCal's gem will be hooked up by June of 2012, with additional markets around the US to be addressed following that. Jump on down and mash play to see how it'll work, and while we're on the topic, good luck securing one of those HOV stickers for your future EV. Ain't no lane like the fast lane, ya heard?

Network Will Make EV Ownership Possible for Residents Who Don't Have Home Garage Charging, and More Convenient for Those Who Do

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - February 1, 2011) - 350Green (www.350green.com), announced its plans today for a national network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Starting with its first project in the San Francisco Bay Area, the company plans to install and operate stations across urban retail shopping centers and other places near where EV drivers live and work. This approach aims to address two of the most vexing challenges facing widespread adoption of EVs: range anxiety and access to a garage for overnight charging.

"Most of the early focus around EV infrastructure has been on putting charging stations in the home garages of customers, which is great if you have a garage. But since many residents in cities don't have access to a garage, this effectively limits the number of people who can participate in the EV revolution," said Mariana Gerzanych, 350Green's founder and CEO. "Because our public charging stations with fast chargers will be widely and conveniently located near where residents live and work, EV ownership will suddenly become an option for all, regardless of whether they have access to charging in a personal garage."

The Bay Area project is funded in part by a grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) as part of its "Spare the Air" program, which also aims to make owning an electric vehicle in the Bay Area a viable option for residents.

"As part of protecting the air quality in the Bay Area, we're committed to making electric vehicle technology available to all," said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Bay Area Air District. "Adding to our electric vehicle charging infrastructure will make it easier for Bay Area residents to Spare the Air every day by going electric."

350Green will build and operate fast charging station plazas in six cities around the area: Albany, Menlo Park, Milbrae, Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale. All of the plazas will be installed in the parking lots of select, high-traffic retail locations, at no cost to the host location.

According to the BAAQMD, the transportation sector accounts for more than 50 percent of air pollution in the Bay Area. Significant emission reductions from the transportation sector will help the Bay Area attain and maintain state and national air quality standards.

Production numbers from EV automakers project approximately one million EVs on US roads by 2015, and possibly 27 million (or 10 percent of all vehicles in the US) by 2020. In the Bay Area, the percentages are even higher: there may be almost 400,000 EVs on the road in the Bay Area by 2020 -- or 12 percent of all the area's vehicles.

350Green will announce specific locations in the coming weeks, and construction, operation and management of its Bay Area network of direct-current (DC) fast chargers and Level 2 chargers will be complete by June 2012. Additional markets around the country in which 350Green will build networks will be determined in collaboration with the company's city and state partners, as well as stakeholders in the various communities.

350Green's innovative technology and strategic approach enables its municipal partners to meet the demand for regional EV charging by creating a private-public partnership. As a project developer, 350Green creates customized programs that feature best-of-class technology that meets the needs of each project.

About 350Green350Green is a project developer that designs, builds and operates scalable networks of plug-in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the US. The company distributes its stations at select, high-traffic retail shopping centers and other places near where EV drivers live and work, to create the most expansive and convenient network of EV charging locations. More information on 350Green and its projects can be found at its website: www.350green.com.